


Love is a disease, flowers are symptoms

by Black_sparkle



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hanahaki Disease, Ratings: PG, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25398973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_sparkle/pseuds/Black_sparkle
Summary: Peonies are beautiful flowers. When people look at them, they feel peace and a beautiful fragrance emanating from these delicate petals. However, when Cassandra looks at them – she feels nothing but a stabbing pain.
Relationships: Hector/Cassandra
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

_No one knows when or how it all started, but they remember too well the girl with whom this story started and lasted for about a year. More precisely, you will be told only by the closest of this girl, if, of course, they want to touch on this topic. It left a white dot too bold on a black background (or Vice versa, as you prefer). Although, perhaps, I can share with you some excerpts from this gloomy, dark story, however, every detail will be difficult to remember, but why not try?_

_Peonies. Lovely flowers, aren't they? So lush and light. The very sight of them makes you believe that there is something beautiful in this life, something worth believing in a miracle for. What to say about the delicate petals that tend to tickle your face when you take a deep breath to feel the sweet aroma of these flowers? But will anyone believe me if I say that in this story beautiful flowers played the role of ruthless murderers? How stupid it must sound, but any truth is better than a lie. Does the so-called "truth" even exist? Is everything we believe to be true a beautifully presented, well-disguised lie? But let's talk about this later. Now a more interesting story, which began with the chase. Yes, you got it right. ~~The one that took the life of an innocent girl.~~_ ~~~~

“Guys, who do you think this is?” the Golden-haired Princess chattered. There was concern in her voice. But he was also not deprived of joy (not the most appropriate feeling for this situation, but all the girl's friends were so used to sudden outbursts of delight for no reason that they no longer expressed dissatisfaction. In fact, it doesn't seem to have been there at all).

The girl's words were ignored, even though Rapunzel was yelling quite loudly. Perhaps it was because there was no time to answer questions, or perhaps no one heard (chases never pass in silence, but this one was too noisy). 

A pair of horses with the beautiful names Fidella and Maximus raced forward as fast as they could, trying to move the Princess's cart as far as possible away from the mysterious pursuer who had started the chase ~~and was partly responsible for what happened next.~~ In fact, there is nothing wrong with making a girl fall in love without making an effort ~~and desire~~ — it just happened. What can happen? It's just unrequited love, and who doesn't? This girl in love will not choke on her own blood and painfully pull out of her mouth peony buds that have not yet opened. Of course not! What kind of nonsense is this? It's a pity that fate decided otherwise.

And how can you fall in love with someone during a chase? The person who started this, and more than that, tried to kill you and your friends? Especially in this situation, falling in love with a pursuer is the last thing any sane person can do (if at all), but I can't say that a girl who lets her feelings get the better of her mind is stupid. Rather-on the contrary, but, apparently, the truth is said: love is evil. But it is still a mystery how the girl managed to fall in love with this man, when at the speed with which they tried to break away from him, not to mention the man behind — the trees growing on the side, a few steps away from her, are not visible without difficulty. But she did it. What-is it time to start believing in "love at first sight"? If so, it is more than strange, because this girl never even had a clue about what love is and refused to believe that sooner or later it will overtake everyone, even the most straitened person (which she was). Well, that's not all. Cassandra had always despised people who truly believed in the power of true love, because she considered it a foolishness, a weakness to be overcome, but it had never occurred to her that she might be the target of Cupid's arrow. After that, will anyone doubt the existence of karma?

When she first met the stranger's gaze, she felt unable to look away. Then she thought, “just a man had beautiful eyes,” but she would have known how wrong she was. The true meaning of this feeling was not just to drown in the beauty of those eyes. It's more serious than that. If Cassandra had known about this, she might still be alive. Yes, she continued to stare at the stranger, as if trying to burn him with her gaze, while his gaze, turned to the girl, expressed nothing but anger and aggression. Cassandra's eyes were beautiful, but for some reason they couldn't catch the pursuer, but I bet anyone else would have drowned in those beautiful gray-green lakes long ago. When she looked at him, it seemed to her that the whole world was frozen, that there was no one but the two of them. Just him and her. But Cassandra obviously had too much to dream, to imagine similar scenes. Isn't that ironic? A girl who hated romance and everything connected with it now resembles a teenage schoolgirl who fell in love with a cute teacher. What doubts can there now be about the existence of karma? Or is it just a joke of fate? If so, then the place where it was purchased is not in excess of humor, or Cassandra is one of those people with whom a cruel game was played, from which the girl was not destined to come out with a winner's medal.

***

The Great Tree. The reason for this chase, which made the whole company afraid (and the Princess-happy), except, oddly enough, Cassandra, who had a strange feeling, the meaning of which she did not know (or already guessed, but just did not want to admit). Perhaps this is due to the fact that once the so-called "strong feelings" already severely crippled her already wounded soul. So much so that the word "love" made her feel sick (or it was observed long before the "first feelings"). In this case, this dislike of romance can only be explained by an impenetrable character. Cassandra was never a boastful person, but for some reason she was always proud of the fact that she was probably the only girl who wasn't waiting for a Prince on a white horse. She had never needed a man to hide behind. This is not surprising. The girl was brought up in the guard, where all this love drool and snot spoke of your weakness, gave away that a trained-looking soldier, a vulnerable sissy at heart, and in the guard for such there is no place. 

At her own risk, Cassandra is lost in thoughts of the man who pursued her along with her friends. She remembered his eyes. Very beautiful. They are similar in color to her own. Bright green for him, dark green for her. And it wasn't just because of that that she compared herself to him. During the entire chase, the girl could not help noticing that this man was a good warrior. Cassandra always differed from other soldiers in the skills she demonstrated in training. Some of the guards even felt insulted. The more coincidences she found, the more ironic it was. She would have thought about it again if her thoughts hadn't been interrupted by an irritating voice.

“His name is Hector.”

At first, this name seemed to the girl funny and, perhaps, even funny (although it caused everyone else to be even more afraid). There was something wrong with the girl's sense of humor. Yes, Cassandra did laugh until she realized how much she liked the name. This is how it happens: at first you laugh, and then you realize how much you like what you were somehow able to see the joke in.

***

From the chasm into which Cassandra had thrown Hector some minutes before during their brief battle at their second meeting, there were heart-rending screams, as if someone was being torn to pieces. Even at that moment, when the girl was just going to do it, the thought "is it worth it? He's just doing his duty," but these thoughts immediately changed to "No! Pull yourself together, you stupid girl! He tried to kill you all!" Unfortunately or fortunately, the second option prevailed. What was there to think about? This man wanted to kill the Princess. After all, Cassandra was her bodyguard, and she had to protect the heir to the throne, _even if it meant sacrificing her own life._ Having made the right (or maybe not the right) decision, she listens to her inner voice and acts as her duty dictates, throwing the offender down the cliff, realizing how it can end (maybe it has already ended). Only after a long few minutes does the girl realize what she has done. God, why can't we turn back time? ~~There are so many things that could be changed and corrected.~~

So Cassandra even allows herself to be discreetly happy when she sees that everything is all right with him. The fact that Hector is completely unconscious and has tentacles wrapped around him from head to toe, does that mean that everything is okay? The girl's already faint smile disappeared the second she saw him. She was willing to bet on anything, but this was the first time she had ever worried about someone so much that she felt something squeezing her chest. ~~_**It's from fear?**_~~ “Idiot, what have you done?” the girl thought to herself, putting her hand to her lips. She was very lucky that her friends didn't see it, or she would have had to explain it very long and tedious. What's there to explain? She didn't know. There's been too much going on lately. Not only in adventures, but in life.

***

Realizing that there is no other way to stop it, the Princess decides to use the spell that nearly killed her friends when she first read it out loud out of curiosity. Cassandra tries her best to convince her friend not to do this. There's always another way out. However, Rapunzel was unwavering. She had always been in the habit of insisting to the last, but now she was particularly stern and determined, which meant that there really was no other way out. The girl begins to utter frightening words. Her hair and eyes turn black, like an abyss with nothing in it. Only emptiness and loneliness. Cassandra remembers how it ended last time, and she doesn't want it to happen again. She doesn't worry about herself. Nary. She doesn't care about herself right now. She is afraid that this fate will befall Hector, but... why is she so afraid for him? Why, when she sees how ill he is, does the girl feel a chill, and she feels something in her chest respond, something pull out? Why, looking at this picture, does she struggle to hold back sudden tears? Why? Why should she feel this pain?

***

This night was too quiet. And can't say that there was a battle here recently. It was probably one of the biggest ones Cassandra had ever been directly involved in. By the way, about her.

The girl lay on her side, trying not to twitch once again — in that battle, she received a "gift" from Rapunzel in the form of a severe burn to about half of her forearm. The pain was unbearable, but it was nothing compared to what she was going through the next minute.

Cassandra had to watch Hector fall into the abyss again. Not even her fault this time, no. She had, in fact, saved him, because if she hadn't sacrificed the state of her hand, Rapunzel would have definitely killed him with her Dark Incantation. Cassandra wasn't to blame for what happened, or at least it wasn't entirely her fault.

“You're an idiot,” the girl whispers to herself, covering her face with her hand. “You... Damn fool, what have you done.” her empty, salt-filled eyes stare into the distance, but see nothing but loneliness. “You fool, you love.”

The girl's next words are interrupted by a sharp pressing pain in the chest area. For the first few seconds, Cassandra ignored it, putting it down to the stress of the day's experience, but as the pain increased and became more like a heavy weight on the girl's chest, she began to doubt her version of events. Finally, feeling that the pain became unbearable, and a lump came to her throat, preventing her from breathing, the girl jumped up abruptly and, realizing that something was clearly wrong, ran away as quickly as possible in the direction of the forest, so as not to Wake her friends — their day was already too hard.

When she was well away from the wagon, Cassandra stopped at the nearest tree to catch her breath. It seemed to her that she had run a marathon without stopping for a second. She leaned her hand against the tree trunk, feeling another lump rise in her throat. The pressure in his chest increased, making it harder to breathe with each new attempt to take a deep breath. Cassandra felt a shiver run through her body. Her eyes filled with undisguised fear. A little more and she would probably have fainted if it hadn't been for a sudden fit of coughing that cut sharply through the night and echoed. The girl covered her mouth with her hand, allowing the cough to escape. After that, she felt noticeably better: the pain receded, and her breathing became even again.

However, in what a shock Cassandra came when, looking at the palm, she saw a slightly dented, slightly bloodied petal of a peony…


	2. Chapter 2

Cassandra had never thought that love — which, in her opinion, had never existed — could be so cruel. Not in the sense that it is unrequited in this situation. She is cruel only because she makes a girl in love not only suffer from not mutual feelings, but also cough up peony petals, slightly smeared with her own blood. How can girl now believe that there is no such thing as love? But, on the other hand, why be so upset? After all, Cassandra was chosen among thousands of such unrequited lovers. Elected for hanahaki. So lucky, huh?

God, Cassandra, and you're the one to blame for all this. You fool, why did you judge Rapunzel when she hugged Eugene for a long time? And now you're suffering. So you got your punishment. Do you think this is too cruel? And how about the fact that you are slowly and painfully killed by the favorite flowers of the object of your passion? There's no way you could have known that, but it's the truth. Think twice next time… ~~Next time?~~

If someone had told Cassandra in the past that she would die alone from flowers, she would have just decided that this person was not right in the head. However, when the hook brothers fought each other, Cassandra had to run away from her friends every half hour to pull the petals out of her mouth and wipe the tears from her eyes. She was very lucky that her friends didn't ask questions when she returned to them with traces of blood at the corners of her lips. There were only three possible explanations: either no one noticed it (or just pretended not to); or no one cared; or they didn't have the courage to talk about it. Cassandra would very much like to hope that for the third reason (although the first two are not so bad either). In any case, what's the point of talking about it if no one takes it seriously? They will just laugh and say that the girl finally has a normal sense of humor. Of course, none of them had ever experienced anything like this. None of them know what real pain is. Cassandra didn't know that either. She always raised an eyebrow and grinned when she heard about the pain of rejection. What would she have to put up with now?

This would probably have continued for a long time if, after successfully restoring the memory of the Princess, Cassandra did not return to her friends in an even more crippled form. Then Rapunzel, no longer able to watch all this and, having guessed the moment when no one will be around, asked a question to her friend, which must have been spinning in the head of the entire team from the very beginning.

“Cass,” the girl began warily, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her, “tell me what's going on. I'm worried,” but then all the so-called "worry" disappeared from the Princess's face, and with a theatrical smile, she continued, giggling slightly: “Did you find a boyfriend, and secretly run to meet him?”

At that moment, Cassandra thought she felt something sting her heart. She felt a sharp pain in the area of her lungs.

“It's all right,” the girl said shortly and rudely, and for a moment it seemed to the Princess that she was still talking to the same old friend. “Nothing like that.”

Hearing the long-familiar tone, Rapunzel already wanted to continue the "interrogation", but when she noticed how Cassandra looked up at her full of irritation, the Princess refused this idea, and, deciding that in this situation, her friend more than ever needs to be alone, left the black-haired girl. And, in the name of everything, how timely. Because it was at that moment that Cassandra had another coughing fit. The girl was in pain. Something was tearing at her from within. Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a pair of iron hands. The chest was being squeezed several times harder than usual by an unknown force. Cassandra looked down at her hand. Again. More petals. Bloody. There are more of them now than last time. You should get used to it, Cass. This is not a cough that can be cured with pills. Fucking Rapunzel. It's her fault. Picked up Fitzherbert silly jokes — this is the result. What does she know about unrequited love? She had never experienced it. She's never felt this pain. What would she do in such a situation? She'd be sad for a day or two and forget it like a bad dream. For her, there is no such thing as "Pain"at all. She lives with Eugene, who loves her, and everyone is happy. But Cassandra didn't. Because for her, pain is when a new Bud sprouts inside and presses, and you are not able to fix it or in any way reduce your own suffering. No, Cassandra. You won't get off that easy. You didn't want to believe in pain, but now you have to believe, no, feel it.

Each day passed for the girl worse than the previous one. Of course, she was thanking everyone she could that Rapunzel was behind her, and the others didn't risk asking (or they didn't care), but she couldn't hide it forever. One day, a coughing fit will catch you when you have nowhere to run. When the girl is surrounded on all sides. When she can't hold back the flowers long enough to get away before they come out of her mouth. How do you explain it? Well, falling in love with someone who wanted to kill you is fine, but flowers... What excuse can you come up with? What will you say to them when you come face to face with uncomprehending, fearful eyes? God, Cass, who made you fall in love with him? You knew what you were doing when you let your feelings run wild. Did you really think it would be mutual? If so, you are even more naive than Rapunzel, who believes in any miracle, no matter how improbable or ridiculous.


	3. Chapter 3

“I told you that we don't need to go to this house, but who listened to me? No one.”

It's quite unfair and even ironic of you to complain that your friends are not listening to you, Cass, because you yourself are not able to believe and listen to yourself. You can't even admit to the end that you are in love. Why? Iron ladies like you shouldn't allow themselves to love someone because it gets in the way? Wake up, Cassandra. You are also a living person, and people tend to love and hate (for some reason the latter always turns out better), to be happy and sad. When will you finally figure it out? Are you not enough flowers that kill from the inside? Or is it necessary that the moment has come when nothing can be fixed?

Hearing this remark, no one was particularly surprised and did not utter a word, except, oddly enough, Eugene, who gave another witty, in his opinion, joke, in response to which Cassandra angrily shouted words about how much she hated. This is only in order not to lose its chaotic appearance. She is ready to do everything so that her friends do not suspect anything. But how long will she be able to hide everything that happens? 

But, if look from the other side, at the moment when the whirligig turned the whole company into children (almost all), some part of Cassandra on a subconscious level was glad that everything happened like this. Eventually she became a child. What can happen to a baby that looks like it can be given no more than seven to eight years? Children are hardly capable of falling in love, and the flowers that kill do not grow inside. In this situation, being a defenseless girl does not seem so unpleasant or scary.Therefore, as a child, Cassandra ran away whenever Rapunzel and Eugene tried to collect all the children in one room to bring them back? All she had to do was run away from friends for exactly an hour, and she would have stayed that way forever. Is it really that bad? It's not the same for everybody. 

Rapunzel will be upset, Eugene if not happy, then he will diligently pretend that a little bit, but sad. But only for the sake of the princess, Cassandra sacrifices her freedom and yields to her convictions. Once again. But she really wanted to do something for herself at least once, something that only she needs, however, even here she must sacrifice everything so that the smile does not leave the face of the princess. Make Golden-hair girl happy. It is so simple. Play your most common role. But how tired she is of this game.

Even when, after the sudden disappearance of Rapunzel in the house of Yesterday Tomorrow, Cassandra had a chance to be left alone with her thoughts, she did not use it. Because she didn't think it would help. Flowers ceased to come out only in petals. Unopened buds of a pale pink peony climbed outward, which, finding themselves in the girl's arms, "winked" with bloody divorces. Cassandra thought it even looked beautiful. Well, in any case, it would seem, if not for the situation itself and everything that comes with it. But that's half the trouble. The pain inside (both physical and mental) intensified with each new attack of coughing. Although the pain was constant, but during the coughing it became stronger, and the girl, as usual, skillfully did not show that something was happening. Still, it's good that no one asks questions about her well-being. Previously, she was offended by the fact that no one is interested in her health, and now she is more than ever grateful for this.

God, Cassandra didn't even think of finding any excuse to escape when Rapunzel and Fitzerbert left in search of the fourth piece of the scroll. It takes a special, shameless talent to treat yourself in this way. However, by all accounts, Cassandra had more than she needed. All she decided to do in the absence of friends, staying in the company of Lance and Shorty, was to leave for a few minutes, trying to justify herself with strange sounds supposedly coming from the forest. She left, hoping that she would not be bombarded with questions. But all she got was strange glances in her direction, which seemed to say, “Has the journey changed you so much that sounds constantly seem like it?” clearly hinting at possible madness. Damn, at this rate, Cassandra is really going crazy! And not because of silly jokes (although they will also contribute to this), but because of this whole situation. Losing your mind from not funny jokes of friends or from persistent pain — it is not known which is worse. However, there is still a third: Cassandra is slowly dying from what brings joy to others. What the hell could be better?! And no one will help her. If only because the girl herself does not want it. Or maybe she wants, she just doesn't admit it. In general, as always. Yes, Cassandra is, as always, in her repertoire.

Through her best friend, Cassandra lost her mother, who treated her daughter like a servant - if not worse. The girl had suffered so much, and now it turned out that her mother had exchanged her for a stranger (now not so unfamiliar). God, best friend, guilty of the death of his only loved one. In general, it was not her fault, but Gothel's desire to be forever young and beautiful ... Perhaps she herself is to blame for her death. She did not appreciate what she had and paid for it. But who will explain this to the girl? And she didn't want to listen to anyone. Christ, Cassandra, what were you thinking when you took the Moonstone? Your problems are not enough for you? By your actions, you will only bring your already imminent end closer. Well, probably with a blue tint of hair and eyes, dying is better, more fun? Not so sad, or something ... Or, on the contrary, only worse? However, what difference does it make in what form you die? The main thing is that, in principle, you will die. Whether you want it or not. It's not up to you to decide when to leave this world. All you can do, Cass, is to finally understand the gravity of the situation and stop thinking that it will pass by itself.


	4. Chapter 4

There's nothing worse than losing your only family member. And it doesn't matter how this person treats you: loves and protects or humiliates and sees only a slave. The main thing is that such a person simply exists in your life. Well... in Cassandra's case, _there was._ When she was a child, she wasn't surrounded by care and affection, but only loneliness, longing and eternal cleaning. But Cassandra still loved her mother and hoped that one day Gotel would be able to see her as a daughter as well as a servant.

The girl always felt that Rapunzel was somehow to blame for something. At least in the fact that because of her, Cassandra was always in the background and waiting for her episodic exit, tried to show her best side, but only got... okay, don't lie. She didn't get anything. It must be terrible when you are always in the background, in the shadow of a friend who is no better than you, or maybe ~~worse in some ways.~~ But what difference does it make? Still, no one noticed, even when the girl went out of her way to get the recognition she deserved. They didn't notice her actions, and they won't notice when the girl ~~leaves this world~~ , even if not of her own free will.

But did Cassandra do the right thing when she took the Opal? The girl with all her heart and soul is sure that Yes. But it doesn't really matter. And... would it help to get rid of the flowers? It seems that when the girl took the Moonstone, she completely forgot about her problem. All she had in her was a desire to avenge her dead mother. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe by letting the anger that has accumulated over many years of life come out, the girl will stop paying attention to this problem with flowers. At least, until the pain is no longer bearable, and the peonies will climb whole opened blood-stained flowers that will get stuck in the throat at any attempt to take a deep breath and interfere with breathing. Well, will you avenge the Princess for her mother and what? Who's better off with that, Cass? Definitely not you.

Or maybe it's just a bad dream or a lie that the girl can't tell from the truth? No. A simple illusion cannot be so crippling, so painful. Even if it a dream, it too long.

Now all those dangerous adventures that the girl had been lucky enough to experience seemed to her no more than harmless walks. Was everything that happening to Cassandra now her worst fear? Although it is difficult to imagine that such a girl can be afraid of something, but it is so.

***

Another attack finds the girl when she was going to "visit" Calliope to take the stone that allows you to control the Brotherhood — a significant step. She had almost fainted then, or would have if Zhan Tiri hadn't brought her to senses. In General, this little demon does not care about the girl's condition — as well as for her in General, but for the sake of their goals, you will not want to, but you will care.

At that moment, it seemed to Cassandra that this attack would be the last, because when she looked at the palm, she saw a whole, blooming flower, stained with blood. It would have been beautiful if the situation hadn't been like this. 

***

Taking the Stone in her hands, Cassandra firmly believed that by subjecting Hector to her will, she could... no, not force him to love her — you won't be nice by force － but confess her feelings… Yes, the girl had long ago realized that it was time to do it. Maybe the confession will make it easier. Anyway, it's worth a try.

Determined, Cassandra gathers the courage to call the warrior to say something that has been tormenting her for a very long time… If not for another intervention by Zhan Tiri, who persuaded the girl to do so _after_ the attack on the Corona. And Cassandra agrees, which she may regret very much later. Or would she choose to disobey the demon and do it her own way? For some reason, when she need to listen to others, Cassandra does what she wants, and when she need to listen to yourself, she listens to someone else…


	5. Chapter 5

Cassandra was thinking of the consequences that might emerge after her attack on Corona. She was afraid of them. What happens after that? The girl might... die… But now the lover did not even know what was worse: to leave this world in a battle that would end badly in any case, or from flowers that, by the way, stopped coming out one by one, now the girl watched as many peonies as could be gathered into a whole bouquet. Blood and a cross between saliva were also not left out. Each flower that came out was smeared with bloodstains and streaks, as if some unknown artist wanted to add a little beauty to the already beautiful flowers, while the girl was crying, looking at them. They brought her nothing but terrible pain and a sense of imminent death. Is it that bad? After all, the sooner she died, the sooner it would be over. Not just for Cassandra, but for everyone else. The blue-haired girl thought that by dying she would put an end to all that she had done (and what she had not yet done); she thought that all would be well. All... not Zhan Tiri.

To tell the truth, the demon had known all along what was happening to Cassandra, which was probably why she had decided to make her her servant. Well, the fact that a girl was lucky enough to fall in love with a member of the Brotherhood and that he would never love her back was just a lucky turn of events that Zhan Tiri could not have foreseen, and, in General, the girl in love herself. It wasn't that Cassandra denied the fact that one day she would fall in love with someone for real, she just never could have imagined that it would happen this way, but it was probably how fate had placed the chips…

“Oh, dear Cassandra, you have no idea how much you are helping me with your ridiculous feelings.”

On the other hand, Zhan Tiri saw obstacles in what was happening to the girl. For example, sudden loss of consciousness, which lasted up to several hours, and the time spent on bringing the lover to her senses. The same amount of time could have been spent planning to take over Corona or something else useful, but no. It is better, of course, to sit over the girl's body for several hours at a time and make sure that she does not choke on her own blood. It's very interesting, especially when you use a blue-haired girl for your own purposes and you can finish her off at any time, but you have to make sure that everything is fine with your marionette, at least until she puts your plan into practice, and then let her sort out her feelings herself, if, of course, she survives… God, she can't even pronounce the name of her passion, because the second she does, she feels a pain that makes her bend over and spit out three or four flowers at a time without stopping, while at the same time wiping the tears from her eyes. Not a day goes by that the demon does not encounter a blood pool, in which peonies float, slightly resembling water lilies, and around there is the smell of flowers half with blood.

“Damn girl! You're ruining everything!”

***

  
POV Cassandra.

  
_How stupid I am. Where was I when my father told me never to let my feelings run wild, because that's what weak people do? Why didn't I listen when he told me all this? Really, I thought that love would bypass me by the tenth road. If I really thought so, then I'm just a naive fool who doesn't understand that the laws of nature are the same for everyone, and there are no chosen ones in this — all people have to fall in love sooner or later, and no one escapes this fate — you are no exception, Cassandra. And these flowers… They are beautiful by nature, but not in this situation. Why, when I look at them, can't I stop the tears that flow down my cheeks on their own while they bring happiness to others? All I want to do now is finally meet him and tell him everything that's happening to me right now, admit my damned feelings. The only way to do this is to do what Zhan Tiri needs and destroy Corona. But... will it make me feel better?.. Can I tell him about it?.. The first step to recognition is to admit it to yourself. You're in love, Cassandra, and there's nothing you can do about it. Love has found you, accept it, but... why does it hurt so much? And who came up with the idea that "love is the most beautiful feeling in the world"? This is not true…_

End POV Cassandra.

***

  
The roofs of the castle were already visible. For a moment, the girl remembered everything that she had experienced in its walls: meeting the Princess, constant jokes about Fitzerbert, dreams of getting into the guard, adventures in the form of Rapunzel's attempts to reconcile her boyfriend with her best friend or turning into her own opposite-all these years flew by like one day. Now more than ever, Cassandra wished she hadn't started this, but there was no going back — all or nothing.

At last she saw the castle in all its terrible glory: the stones that had been left behind from her last visit seemed to point to the front door. The sight sent a wave of goosebumps through Cassandra, as fast as a pack of wolves trying to catch their prey. Once again, the girl regretted that she had allowed the demon to take over her freedom. Only now the lover realized how much she had made a mistake, allowing herself to be subjected to someone else's will, but there is only one way to fix all this — the girl has long understood that without her Zhan Tiri will not be able to implement his plan, so you just need to admit your feelings, and then the flowers will not take long to do their job.

***

Cassandra sits on the throne that belongs to the Princess — if not the Queen, but the girl does not care about this fact — her mind is occupied with another, more important and serious matter: at this very moment, she is ready to call the warrior and tell everything that worries her. Now, as long as Zhan Tiri is not around, as long as no one controls her, and as long as she is free to do what she needs to do.

The girl picked up the stone that Adira had previously held and that She had taken for a single purpose. She had to do it, no matter how it ended. She should, because if not here and now, then never. Cassandra is ready.

_Three..._

The girl takes a deep breath.

 _Two_...

She feels another lump in her throat.

 _One_...

Lover does not have time to do anything — she hears the noise of the door opening. Cassandra looks up, and her heart stops. She sees him. Cause of everything that is happening to her. Why did he come? Yes, he's under a spell, but why is he here? It was at this moment that it seemed to the girl that he had found out all about it before it was necessary. He was here now, standing right in front of her…

Without realizing it, Cassandra dropped the stone, causing it to shatter into a dozen small pieces on the floor. The sound of the blow was deafening in the complete silence, so the girl started in sudden fright when it happened. The spell that had been cast on the warrior's mind evaporated, after which he did not immediately come to himself, but when everything returned to its place, Hector, with his typical anger and aggression, glanced at the girl. She was watching him, too. There was sadness in her eyes and a little fear. There was a long silence between them for several minutes, until the warrior finally broke it.

“You looked a little different the last time I saw you.”

Cassandra didn't even flinch at that. The subject of her betrayal was no longer as painful to her as it had been. The lover continued to examine the object of her love, not daring to say anything. She just stared, feeling another batch of flowers rise in her throat. Inside, it tore harder and more painfully than usual. It was only after a while that she realized what she had to do... before it was too late…

“I have something to tell you,” the lover stopped, as if she had forgotten her native language. She lowered her eyes. Her made you shiver. Cassandra looks up again and, catching the warrior's uncomprehending gaze, continues, taking a few steps forward. “I ... I love you,” the girl gasps, and the warrior freezes.

“What? the Joke is not funny.”

“Do I look like a prankster?” Cassandra answers seriously, taking another step.

They stand facing each other and study with their eyes. The tension hung in the air and seemed to envelop her from head to toe, making her skin crawl. No one dared to break the silence until the lover finally began to speak:

“Just know that I don't care what you do to me, but.”

Cassandra moved closer to the warrior and leaned forward to kiss him on the lips, closing her eyes. Hector didn't push her away, but he didn't respond, just blinked in disbelief. She felt tears start to flow from her eyes. The warrior's indifference brings the girl back to Earth, and she pulls away and walks away, turning her back on him, covering her mouth with one hand and wrapping the other around her waist. The girl flinches when she hears the front door slam, and when she turns around, she sees only emptiness and hears only silence. She has tears in her eyes and an empty heart. There is something very painful in her chest that stings and tears her lungs. The girl started coughing wildly — now that it was clear that she was not going to get reciprocated, there were twice as many flowers as usual. The floor was covered with bloodied peonies. Now, because of the scarlet spots, can't see the natural color of these colors. It doesn't matter.

Cassandra falls to her knees, feeling and seeing new flowers fly out of her mouth. She continues to smile wearily, knowing that the end is near. Her eyes fill with tears, and they run down her cheeks, forming puddles that are diluted with drops of blood. The cough does not stop for a second, on the contrary it only increases and becomes louder. It's a good thing there's no one in the castle right now. Probably not.

The girl feels her pulse slow down, and a lump gets stuck in her throat that can't get out. The lover feels that her becomes harder to breathe. Thin trickles of scarlet blood flow from his mouth and drip onto the floor and flowers. There is not a single whole peony. They are all broken and battered, as is the soul of this unrequited girl in love. She doesn't feel sorry for herself. So she lies down on the cold floor. Cassandra smiles and closes her eyes, fully aware that she will never open them again.


End file.
